Operational data
Data from smartcards
As set out above, the NEC was used to enable individual participants in the pilot to access free bus travel. Participating bus operators were reimbursed at 72.4% of the adult single fare (the same rate as used for the Young Persons Free Bus Travel scheme) using the same mechanism as for the NCTS.
Information on the number of cardholders was supplied by the National Entitlement Card Programme Office to Transport Scotland (NECPO). The table below gives details of the number of cards active by the end of the pilot in in each local authority, not necessarily where journeys were made. No cards were issued in Clackmannanshire, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, East Renfrewshire, Highland, Moray, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands Council areas.
| Issuing Local Authority | Number of cardholders |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 742 |
| Aberdeenshire | 248 |
| Angus Council | < 20 |
| Argyll and Bute | < 20 |
| City of Edinburgh | 256 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 42 |
| Dundee City | < 20 |
| East Ayrshire | < 20 |
| East Dunbartonshire | < 20 |
| East Lothian | 21 |
| Falkirk | 97 |
| Fife | < 20 |
| Glasgow City | 1,817 |
| Inverclyde | 124 |
| Midlothian | < 20 |
| North Ayrshire | < 20 |
| North Lanarkshire | 45 |
| Perth and Kinross | 184 |
| Renfrewshire | 76 |
| Scottish Borders | < 20 |
| South Ayrshire | < 20 |
| South Lanarkshire | 163 |
| Stirling | < 20 |
| West Dunbartonshire | < 20 |
| West Lothian | 62 |
| Totals: | 3,972 |
Almost half of cardholders were in Glasgow, where most people seeking asylum have been accommodated in Scotland since dispersal was introduced. The next largest groups of cardholders were in the North-East (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire). There were also significant numbers in Edinburgh, Perth and Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Falkirk and Inverclyde.
The table below sets out the number of journeys made under the pilot. Journeys are based on the local authority in which the card was issued, however some journeys will have been undertaken out with the local authority area. This data is subject to change due to late data being received and does not include instances where a driver recorded a journey manually due to a technical issue with the smart card.
| Local Authority | Journey Count |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 52860 |
| Aberdeenshire | 13786 |
| Angus | 462 |
| Argyll and Bute | < 50 |
| City of Edinburgh | 39229 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 993 |
| Dundee City | 560 |
| East Ayrshire | 1606 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 266 |
| East Lothian | 2330 |
| Falkirk | 5634 |
| Fife | 367 |
| Glasgow City | 165507 |
| Inverclyde | 9026 |
| Midlothian | 1268 |
| North Ayrshire | 686 |
| North Lanarkshire | 3689 |
| Perth and Kinross | 10154 |
| Renfrewshire | 7595 |
| Scottish Borders | < 50 |
| South Ayrshire | < 50 |
| South Lanarkshire | 19582 |
| Stirling | < 50 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 1500 |
| West Lothian | 4238 |
| Total | 341,677 |
In addition, as noted above, those cardholders based in areas outwith the central belt (in particular Glasgow), are more likely to have had to make longer journeys to access essential services, both locally as well as those only available in other areas with a larger community of people seeking asylum. Transport Scotland estimates that 3.48% of all smart journeys made under the pilot were via long distance coach operators. By comparison 2.49% of all smart journeys made under the Young Persons Free Bus Travel Scheme during the same period were via coach operators.
Costs
The pilot was demand led, with operators being reimbursed at the agreed rate of 72.4% of the adult single fare for each journey made using the NEC. This meant that the cost of reimbursing operators increased as more cards were issued during the pilot. The table below sets out reimbursement costs for each month between December 2025 and March 2026.
| Period | Dates | Journeys | Gross Reimbursement (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 - 9 | 10/11/25 - 07/12/25 | 195 | £552.56 |
| 2026 - 10 | 8/12/25 - 04/01/26 | 21,499 | £60,657.17 |
| 2026 - 11 | 05/01/26 - 01/02/26 | 66,122 | £197,225.14 |
| 2026 - 12 | 02/02/26 - 01/03/26 | 107,736 | £310,304.63 |
| 2026 - 13 | 02/03/26 - 31/03/26 | 146,764 | £428,493.13 |
| Total | Not applicable | 342,316 | £997,232.63 |
The total spend for the pilot overall was £1,042,285.53, including the reimbursement costs. This total also includes: a grant to Glasgow Life to meet Glasgow City Council’s costs associated with processing applications and administering the pilot in that local authority area in recognition of the higher administrative burden of the pilot given the numbers of people seeking asylum located in Glasgow, administrative costs, including card production and set up costs to NECPO and translation for public facing materials and the evaluation surveys.
Data from the pilot combined with available data from the NCTS and data about people seeking asylum in Scotland has been used to inform an estimate of costs of between £5.4m and £7.2m annually for multi-year longer term provision. There are significant caveats to this estimate, including that estimates are produced assuming the same reimbursement terms as used in the pilot, while for a longer-term scheme a reimbursement approach would need to be agreed with operators. Additionally, the pilot did not run for a full year meaning travel behaviours have not fully emerged and seasonal differences in travel patterns are not fully accounted for. The number of people seeking asylum settled in Scotland may increase or decrease from the current number, depending on Home Office dispersal policy and the overall number of people seeking asylum in the United Kingdom.